WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. — A grizzly bear was killed last week in Custer Gallatin National Forest’s Tepee Creek north of West Yellowstone, MT, according to an announcement by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP).
On Monday, Sept. 9, two bowhunters reported being charged by a sow grizzly bear with two yearling cubs in tow. The hunters shot and killed the sow with handguns. They also shot at and injured one of the yearling cubs after the two yearlings charged the hunters, according to FWP. The hunters were not injured in the encounter.
FWP staff evaluated the site on Wednesday, confirming the death of the older female bear. Staff reportedly found evidence of the yearling being injured, but did not locate the yearlings.
“No further management action by FWP is planned,” FWP’s announcement said. “This incident is still under investigation by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, who also provided assistance this week.”
All outdoor recreators should practice Bear Aware behaviors in grizzly country. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department stresses that hunters especially need to be on high alert for nearby bears, since they’re moving quietly through the landscape at hours of high bear activity. In a similar encounter, an archery hunter shot and killed an adult male grizzly bear near Island Park, Idaho on Sept. 1.
Learn more about staying safe in bear country here.
